Ch. 94 | Marguerite Sheffer, Winner of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, on The Man in the Banana Trees

Show NotesOn today’s episode of the Word Weaver, I’m joined by New Orleans author Marguerite Sheffer, winner (!!!) of the Iowa Short Fiction Award, for her debut short story collection, The Man in the Banana Trees. The 18 works of speculative fiction veer toward the weird and whimsical and have already garnered Marguerite comparisons to George Saunders and Claire Keegan for the playfulness and precision of her prose, as well as her use of metaphor. In one story we meet an ice cream consultant in 2036 who predicts a devastating flavor trend, while in “Rickey” a high school counselor works with a troubled student who happens to be an anthropomorphic felt puppet.Marguerite’s foundations are in academia, as both a student (she holds an MFA and BA in English/Creative Writing) and as a teacher (she taught AP English to high schoolers for nearly a decade prior to becoming a Professor of Practice at Tulane University).There are so many nuggets of writing wisdom dropped throughout our conversation as we chat about everything from how to handle endless rejections as an emerging writer, to how to stop feeling selfish for prioritizing your writing practice (or at least try…).You also will likely be inspired to re-watch Cool Runnings, add New Orleans to your bookshop bucket list, and treat yourself to some new writing notebooks and Pilot P-700 pens. CONNECT WITH MARGUERITE SHEFFERWebsite: margueritesheffer.comInstagram: @mlenshefferBluesky: @mlenshefferBuy the Book: 📖 THE MAN IN THE BANANA TREESWord Weaver Podcast LinksShow Notes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcastInstagram: @wordweaverpodcast🎧 Listen on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes, Spotify, and now on YouTube🆕 NEW episodes weeklyIf you like what you hear, please subscribe, leave a review, and share the #WordWeaverPodcast with your friends, family, and on social media, as it helps more people find out about it! I appreciate it so much. ☺️